Merchandising display for luminous coated flashlights and the like



Feb. 24, 1953 J. c. CALHOUN ET AL MERCHANDISING DISPLAY FOR LUMINOUS COATED FLASHLIGHTS AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed. May 28, 1948 m m m m W/LBUR L. DAV/030M,

KARL J. HANSEN.

JAMES C, C/lLHO u/v,

ATTORNL'YS.

MW U 0 2 MOME m 3 m w s z 8 a N A N 9, e mu R 2 WCLH a, w I w 1 5 T 2 EUL A Mm m w m 5 J K 3% B J. C. CALHOUN ET AL MERCHANDISING DISPLAY FOR LUMINOUS COATED FLASHLIGHTS AND THE LIKE Feb. 24, 1953 Filed May 28, 1948 Feb. 24, 1953 J. c. CALHOUN ET AL MERCHANDISING DISPLAY FOR LUMINOUS COATED FLASHLIGHTS AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed. May 28, 1948 M 5 6. mmz Y ML V 5 E NA N N H w W Na il 8 W 3 sM T mum A MMK a m M 0 a wk I 4d a 5 Z w u Patented Feb. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEECHANDISING DISPLAY FOR LUMINOUS CUATED FLASHLIGHTS AND THE LIKE Delaware Application May 28, 1948, Serial No. 29.884

6 Claims.

The invention relates to advertising or merchandising displays, and more particularly to a display for merchandising luminous-coated articles, such as flashlights, which glow in the dark.

It is common practice to coat flashlights with luminous paint to assist the user in finding them in the dark. An object of the present invention is to provide an attractive and inexpensive merchandising display to assist in selling such flashlights.

According to a preferred form of the invention, the merchandising display comprises a box-like structure in the form of a truncated pyramidal hollow body having a viewing opening at the top and a bottom wall hinged to the front wall of the body. The bottom Wall has a holder for holding the luminous flashlight or other article. In its normal display position on the store counter, the

body rests on its front face, with the flashlight hidden behind the body, and with its back wall rip-facing the customer. Suitable advertising indicia is placed on the back wall, instructing the customer to raise the body and look through the viewing opening. folds down over the bottom wall, thereby enclosing the flashlight in a dark room. By looking through the viewing opening, the customer gets an unexpected and attractive glimpse of the glowing article, thus promoting sales. body is in counter-display position, lying on its front face, the dark room is open, and the luminous article is exposed to light in the store this reactivates the luminous coating on the article.

The invention also consists in certain new and original features and combinations hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of the merchandising display as it lies, open, on the merchants counter;

Fig. 2 is a development of two cardboard blanks from which the display is made;

Fig. 3 is a development of another blank;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the display in open, reactivating position, the dot and dash lines indicating the closed or viewing position; 7

Figs. 5 and 6 are, respectively, vertical section When the body is raised, it

When the and horizontal section on the lines 5& and 6-6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a section on the line l'l of Fig. 6, with the body raised to viewing position.

In the following description and in the claims, various details will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit.

Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for purposes of explanation, but it will be understood that the details may be modified in various respects without departure from the broad aspect of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, in the form shown, the display is made up of cardboard, suitably scored and cut to form a folded box. The structure will first be described in its set-up position and in its functional aspects, after which the cardboard blank and method of of assembly and setting up will be described.

As shown particularly in Fig. 1, the display comprises the box-like body H) which is in the form of a truncated pyramid; it has a bottom wall l I connected thereto by a hinge portion l2. ihe hinge is merely a score line in the cardboard material, as will be more apparent below.

The body it includes a front wall iii, a back wall It and side walls l5 and it; the position of these walls is described with respect to the upright or viewing position. Connected to the back and side walls are flanges 26, 25, 2?. These flanges strengthen the box and also help provide a light-proof seal when the body is raised to viewing position. The bottom wall I! has holding ears ll holding the luminescent flashlight, indicated by It.

The smaller upper end of the body I0 is open to provide an eyepiece denoted generally by It. The edge of the back wall 14 is curved, as indicated by 28 in Fig. 6, and the front wall 13 has a recess 2i fitting the customers nose, to facilitate a reasonably tight seal between the customers face and the body of the display, and thus form a substantially dark room in which to View the flashlight I8.

The display is used as follows. It normally lies in recumbent display position, as shown in Fig. 1, fiat on the merchants counter, with the flashlight 19 inserted throughthe holding ears IT. The flashlight I8 is thus exposed to light to reactivate its luminescent coating. The flashlight is hidden from the customer's view by the body of the box. The back wall [4 faces upwardly and is inclined toward the customer; it has printed thereon an advertising display, together with instructions to lift the box body 10 and view the article inside.

The customer then raises the box body 10 from recumbent position shown in Fig. l to upright position shown in Fig. 7. This places the eye opening I 9 in a convenient position for the customers eyes. The customers natural curiosity will usually prompt him to follow the advertising instructions. After he raises the box body, the bottom flanges 25, 2B, 27 rest against the bottom wall ll, thereby enclosing the flashlight in a dark room; the customer then gets a view of the glowing flashlight, in a most attractive and unexpected manner.

After the customer views the flashlight, the mere release of his hold on the body l causes the body to fall back flat on the counter to display position; this action occurs because of the natural elasticity of the hinge and because of the unstable or offset center of gravity of the body with respect to the hinge i2 (see Fig. '7).

It will be understood that the advertising display may be made of any suitable material. In practice, paperboard or cardboard is convenient because of relatively small cost, convenience in shipping flat, ease in setting up, and ability to take printed advertising matter. Figs. 2 and 3 show three paperboard blanks A, B and C, from which the display is made. are indicated by dot and dash lines. For convenience, the same reference characters are used to designate the several panels and other parts as the corresponding parts of the display structure formed thereby.

Blanks A and B are shown in Fig. 2 glued together by flap 24 secured to panel [3. Blank B includes back panel l4, side panels l5, l and reinforcing panel 30; it also has the bottom flaps 25, 26, 21. Blank A includes front panel l3, reinforcing panel 3| and bottom panel ll suitably connected by score l2, forming the hinge. An adhesive area 39 is provided for. connecting blank C as described below.

Blanks A and B are provided with tongues 29 which fit into openings 28 and with tongues 32 which fit into openings 33 for setting up the box as described below.

Blank C comprises a base 36 with ears I! having flashlight receiving openings 31 and 38. One opening 38 may have a notch in its edge to clear the switchbutton of the flashlight, as will be understood.

The blanks A, B and C may be assembled in the factory in which they are made. Blanks A and B are assembled as shown in Fig. 2. and blank C has its base 36 applied to the adhesive area 39. The assembly may be shipped fiat to the flashlight merchant, printed and ready to be set up.

It is thought that the setting up of the box will be apparent from the above description. It is only necessary for the flashlight merchant to fold the several main panels l3, l4, l5, I6, 30, 3i about their score lines, place reinforcing panel 3| in substantial register with panel l6, fold reinforcing panel 30 over front panel l3, and tuck ears 32 into holes 33. He then bends up bottom flaps 25, and 21 and inserts ears 29 in holes 28. He then bends up holding ears I! from the Here the score lines 4 bottom wall and inserts the flashlight i8 through holes 31, 38.

Thus a simple and inexpensive advertising display is provided. It has an attractive appearance when in display position; its appeal to the nat ural curiosity of people causes the customer to follow the advertised instructions by raising the box and viewing the luminous-coated flashlight which glows in the dark room formed by the box. Such an unexpected and attractive display urges the customer to buy a flashlight and overcomes any hesitation on his part.

While certain novel features of the invention have been disclosed herein, and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a display device to aid in selling a lumi nescent article of merchandise, a structure comprising a truncated, pyramidal, four-sided body converging to an eye opening at its smaller end and having a wall hinged to its larger end, hold ing means on said wall for said article, said wall and body being relatively movable from an open position, in which said article is exposed to light, to a closed position in which said article is in a dark room within said body.

2. In an advertising device to aid in selling a luminescent flashlight or other article, a boxlike structure comprising a truncated, pyramidal body whose front wall has a bottom wall hinged thereto, said body converging to an open top providing a viewing opening, said structure having an upright, viewing position and a recumbent, display position, said bottom wall lying flat on the store counter or other support in both positions, said bottom wall having holding devices for holding the luminescent article, said body being swung downwardly to place its front wall flat on the support to form the display position, said body being swung upwardly to engage said bottom wall to form the viewing position, said luminescent article being exposed. to light for reactivation when the structure is in display position, said luminescent article being disposed in a dark room formed by said body and bottom wall when the structure is in viewing position.

3. In a box constituting a dark room to aid in selling luminous articles, a blank having a back panel, first and second side panels, one on either side, said second side panel having a front reinforcing panel connected thereto, said front reinforcing panel having front connecting ears, said first side panel having a front panel connected thereto, said front panel having a reinforcing side panel connected thereto, said front panel having connecting openings, a bottom panel connected to said front panel, said panels being bent around their connecting score lines to place said reinforcing side panel in register with said second side panel and to place said reinforcing front panel in overlapping relation to said front panel, said front ears being disposed in said front connecting openings, said panels having top edges forming a viewing opening in the set-up box.

4. In a box constituting a dark room to aid in selling luminous articles, a first blank having a back panel, first and second side panels, one on either side, said first side panel having a connecting flap, said second side panel having a front reinforcing panel connected thereto, said front reinforcing panel having front connecting ears, bottom flaps connected to said back and side panels, said bottom flaps having connecting ears and openings for securing these parts together when the box is set up, a second blank having a front panel with connecting openings and a reinforcing side panel, said front panel being adhesively secured to said connecting flap, said second blank also having a bottom panel connected to said front panel, said blanks being bent around their connecting score lines to place said reinforcing side panel in register with said second side panel and to place said reinforcing front panel in overlapping relation to said front panel, said front ears being disposed in said front connecting openings, the bottom flaps on said panels forming bottom flanges of the set-up box, said panels having top edges forming a viewing opening in the set-up box.

5. In a two-position advertising device to aid in selling a luminescent flashlight or other article, said device having an upright viewing position and a recumbent display position, said device comprising a box-like tubular body having an upright wall and a bottom wall, hinge means connecting said walls, the top of said body being open to provide a viewing opening, said bottom wall lying fiat on the store counter or other support in both positions of the device, said bottom wall having space for holding the luminescent article, said body being swingable about said 3 hinge means from One position to the other, said body lying with its upright wall down on said support to provide the recumbent display position, said body engaging its bottom wall to provide the upright viewing position, said luminescent article being exposed to light for reactivation when the body is in recumbent display position, said luminescent article being disposed in a dark room formed by said bottom wall and body when the device is in upright viewing position.

6. The device according to the preceding claim in which biasing means is provided whereby the body must be supported manually to place the device in upright viewing position and whereby, upon release of the body, the body falls back down on the counter to recumbent display position.

JAMES C. CALHOUN. WILBUR L. DAVIDSON. KARL J. HANSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 984,520 Campbell Feb. 14, 1911 1,980,482 Golden Nov. 13, 1934 2,110,310 Shayes et a1. Mar. 8, 1938 2,157,954 Gould May 9, 1939 2,210,565 Asher Aug. 6, 1940 2,217,991 Peck Oct. 15, 1940 2,287,648 Sunderhauf et a1. June 23, 1942 2,290,767 Reuter July 21, 1942 2,435,843 Rand Feb. 10, 1948 2,456,168 Behrens Dec. 14, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 473,043 Great Britain Dec. 23, 1936 

